SH Blog: Phil Jackson calls the Knicks “clumsy”

Back in January, our hall of fame writer Mark Heisler wrote about the possibility of Phil Jackson becoming the coach of the New York Knicks after having lunch with him, and Chris Sheridan thought they should at least make the phone call to inquire about the availability of the accomplished coach.

Turns out, Jackson never did receive that call. In a recent interview he did for “HBO Real Sports”, he had plenty to say about the state of the New York Knicks and why they are a clumsy bunch. From Michael O’Keeffe of New York Daily News:

In an “HBO Real Sports” interview that premieres on Tuesday, Jackson tells correspondent Andrea Kremer that Dolan never called – and he was glad.

“I wasn’t gonna take that job, that’s for sure,” said Jackson, who played with the Knicks from 1967 to 1978.

Jackson suggests he has given a good deal of thought to coaching the Knicks – “New York is special,” he says – but he dismissed the possibility of returning to Madison Square Garden because the current team is “clumsy.”

“What’s clumsy mean?” Kremer asked.

“Well, they don’t fit together well. (Amare) Stoudemire doesn’t fit well with Carmelo. Stoudemire’s a really good player. But he’s gotta play in a certain system and a way.

“Carmelo has to be a better passer. And the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands,” Jackson continued. “They need to have someone come in that can kinda blend that group together.”

“But wouldn’t you have been the perfect person to come in and blend all that talent together?” Kremer said. “You sort of have a good history of that.”

“Yeah,” Jackson agreed. “Well, it never happened.”

Jackson’s thoughts seem conflicted at best. He indicates he’d never take the job to coach the Knicks because of their clumsiness, yet says that he had given a good deal of thought about coaching them. It sounds as if all the Zen Master needed was a bit of convincing, which again, he never received.

You can click here to catch a snippet of the show. To watch the full interview, you will have to tune in on Tuesday at 10 p.m ET (at the expense of Game 4).